The Sun Revolves Around Apollo (The Gods Are Back In Town Book 2)

by Serena Akeroyd

  Having Hades here was my greatest concern.

  He was a bit of an asshole—like Apollo—and the prospect of having the two of them in close quarters for more than a fifteen-minute meeting?

  Yes. That was the true idea of Hades—the place, not the God.

  Huffing out a breath, I ceased fidgeting and stared up at the sky where a black ‘bird’ suddenly made an appearance. The instant it did, there came the vibrational pulses in the air from the whomp-whomp of the blades as they cut through the sky.

  “All will be well, little brother,” Lux assured me, and his statement had me rolling my eyes.

  “Still playing that card, brother.”

  “With twins, five minutes makes all the difference.”

  I didn’t bother stifling my grin from him. “Wonder if Nash will join you in the ring?”

  Lux’s shoulders stiffened. “I owe him a pounding from last time.”

  I snorted. “He won fair and square.”

  “He had Leto dope my drink! How is that fair and square?”

  “You should know not to leave your beverage around one as wily as she.”

  Lux scowled at me. “I can see whose side you’re on, little brother.”

  “Yours, of course, but it’s my duty to tell you when you’re in the wrong, and you were most definitely in the wrong,” I assured him, chuckling even as the helicopter finally started to land.

  The trees, the plants, and flowers all swayed under the mighty roar of the rotors, and in truth, I felt like swaying myself. This was bound to be a disaster, and it wasn’t aided by the fact that Apollo wasn’t here, neither was Ella.

  In fact, disaster seemed to be an understatement, and being a day away from saving the Earth from the equivalent of an extraterrestrial atomic bomb, I figured we were the ones who’d know what a disaster truly was.

  I pressed my palms together, bridging my fingers in front of my groin. It was either that or start fidgeting, and I would never do anything so shameful as that.

  When the four alighted from the helicopter once the rotor had ceased moving, they crouched down at first, instinctively avoiding the blades, and then straightened up.

  I saw the female I’d met months before in New York. Cressida Jonas. A world-renowned singer and apparently, my wife’s best friend.

  That couldn’t be a coincidence, could it?

  That Apollo and Hades, two Gods who were renowned for their dislike of the other, two Gods who shared the same territory and were the direct cause of the Civil War on this soil, were joined together by two females who loved one another, and who considered each other sisters.

  Hades broke the line the quartet made as they strode up the slight incline, away from the helicopter pad, and toward us.

  I caught his gaze, knowing he dealt best with me and not my fellow guardians, for I was far more composed than moody Achilles or irritable Pollux, and dipped my chin in greeting.

  “Welcome to Achill, sire.”

  Hades pursed his lips as he peered around our wall of guardians, and over to the brick-facade building. “Never thought I’d see the day I’d be welcomed to HQ.”

  I shrugged. “I’m certain none of us predicted this particular day, and yet joyful we are for it.”

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “Ever the diplomat, Castor.”

  “I try, sire.”

  Pollux straightened his shoulders. “Sire,” he greeted, and Achilles, though his shoulders couldn’t be straighter without his skeleton being formed from marble, greeted the other God likewise.

  “How are my horses?”

  “They’re well,” I assured him, discussing the few mares he had stabled here to be impregnated by our stud. “You can see them today or tomorrow if you wish.”

  “Oh, I wish—”

  “Tomorrow, Hades,” the small female interrupted, shooting her husband a pointed look. “I’m not here to spend time in a stable.”

  “No, you’re here to be with Ella, tín eaftoú gynaíka, and why would you want your husbands hovering around you as you do so? I’m sure you’ll have,” Hades closed his eyes, and as though the words were pained, grunted, “girl talk.”

  For a second, my brother guardians and I stiffened. The desire to laugh almost overtook us, but only millennia of existing on this mortal soil, of dealing with diplomats and politicians, of being generals and foot soldiers, stopped the chuckle from escaping our lips.

  Icarus cleared his throat. “Having a twenty-first-century wife comes with its perils, gentlemen.”

  Cressy frowned. “What kind of perils?”

  “Having to utter phrases like ‘girl talk,’ agapití,” Hades stated grimly.

  “When have you ever heard me use that phrase?” she retorted, surprising me by calling Hades out in front of us.

  Something had changed.

  The last time I’d met her, she’d been quiet and reserved, but then I supposed she’d been the wife of three men for some time now.

  It was all well and good to speak so freely before us, however, but the likes of Athena’s guardians? Or Hera’s?

  Concern for her filled me, and I caught Hades’ eye. He tilted his chin to the side in understanding, but his smile was appreciative.

  I meant no harm, no ill will, and I wasn’t offended, but we were different.

  “Cressida has learned the ways of dealing with other guardians. Fear not.”

  “You’re Ella’s. You don’t count,” the small female said bluntly.

  “Well, that’s us put in our places,” Lux commented, but he laughed. “Does that mean I can shoot the shit with you, Hades?”

  The King of the Underworld looked as pained as he did when he’d uttered the words ‘girl talk.’ Then, Cressy elbowed him in the side, and she stated, “He’s promised to play nice.”

  My nostrils flared in an attempt to control my second bout of laughter. “Indeed,” I rasped, my amusement bleeding through the word as I processed a remark that made the God of the Dead look like a toddler being ordered around by his mother.

  Of course, the minute I spoke, Cressida narrowed her eyes at me. “You were the one most concerned about Apollo and Hades’ interactions the last time we met if I recall. Perhaps you shouldn’t be amused by my husband’s good spirits now.”

  My brows rose as I caught her gaze. “You are correct,” I told her, suitably chastened. “You have to admit, there is a chasm between the Hades of before and now?”

  “I wouldn’t know,” she retorted sweetly. “I wasn’t there before, was I?”

  Lux elbowed me. “Quit while you’re ahead.”

  “Indeed,” Cressida mocked, taking my word and throwing it back at me like a gauntlet.

  I cleared my throat, deciding Lux was most certainly correct, but before I could speak, Cressy asked, “Where’s Ella?”

  “We’ve had a situation that we had to handle,” Achilles said, doing what he hadn’t done in two millennia—actively stepping forward to take on the mantel of responsibility that came as an integral part of being guardians to Apollo.

  Lux shot me a look, and I lifted my shoulders a scant inch. I was just as confused, but now wasn’t the time to discuss the other man’s sudden change of heart.

  “What kind of situation?” Hades demanded, and my earlier words were a mockery because if he’d mellowed out some, that had gone by the wayside.

  “A situation we hadn’t foreseen.”

  “I think I can handle more information than that,” Hades groused.

  “It is Apollo’s business,” Achilles countered. “I’m sure you wouldn’t appreciate it if he questioned your guardians—”

  “No, but I wouldn’t send them off to handle my business,” was the other God’s swift retort.

  Cressida placed a hand on Hades’ shirt-covered arm. And it was then I realized how casually the others were dressed.

  We weren’t.

  We were in three-piece suits, dammit, but Hades’ and his men? His wife? Icarus, Orpheus, and Hades all wore linen shirts
and smart-casual tonal shorts. Cressida sported a flirty sundress that swirled about her knees. On her feet, she wore strappy wedges while her men wore loafers.

  Their dress made me realize we were taking this too formally, but then again, before now, Hades had never not been formal.

  I reached up and pulled at my tie, loosening the knot until I could remove it entirely. The minute it was off, I unbuttoned my collar. The actions caught the eye of the others, but I said, “Apollo is with Ella. Our wife is currently incapacitated.” When Cressy froze, then jerked forward, I held up a hand. “She’s exhausted.”

  Hades narrowed his eyes as he grabbed his wife’s fingers and held her in place. “And Apollo can’t heal her?”

  “He has. We believe she needs the rest.”

  “She’s resting while I’m here?” Cressy shook her head. “That doesn’t fit.”

  “It isn’t the kind of rest that could be considered voluntary,” Lux explained carefully. “She passed out and has yet to awaken.”

  Cressy’s rosy cheeks blanched. “She’s sick.”

  “Be calm, agape mou,” Icarus soothed. “Apollo is a healer. Whatever ails her, he will cure her.”

  “If he could, then why isn’t she here?” she retorted.

  “Because the sleep is a healing one,” I explained softly.

  “What’s going on here?” Hades inquired, and his tone didn’t bode well for anyone that would put hurdles in his path.

  “It’s difficult to say, mostly because it came as a surprise to us. We believed Ella’s line to belong to Hecate, and then, when Lux and I claimed Ella as our wife, we realized she has ties to Helios.”

  Rus sucked down a sharp breath. “But—“

  “Yes.” My jaw firmed as I shot him a look.

  “What is it?” Cressy demanded, her voice panicked.

  “Apollo is the God of the Sun, but so is Helios,” Hades informed her softly, but he raised an arm and tucked it around her shoulders. Hugging her gently, he explained, “That’s an unfortunate coincidence.”

  “Unfortunate isn’t the word. She inadvertently triggered a solar storm. We managed to stop it in time, but the after-effects are—” I pursed my lips. “Unforeseen.”

  Hades nodded. “I understand.” He dipped his head and pressed a kiss to Cressy’s crown. “Cressy, she needs to rest. Whatever they had to do to control the solar energy they had to harness; it is no wonder if she is slightly burned-out.”

  Nash slipped an arm around her waist, nestling the woman between her two husbands in a way that made me wish Ella was here now.

  I wanted to do that with her.

  Nestle her between my twin and me.

  Would she allow that?

  Ella was prickly. Even though we’d made her ours, there were so many things we didn’t know about her yet, and I hated that. I wanted to know everything, but only time would permit that and we’d known her for such a short while where that was impossible.

  I knew that she nuzzled into me when she slept. I knew that her feet would connect with our calves, and that she would curve into us during her slumber too. But awake?

  That was still an unknown.

  “Please, follow us to your apartments,” Lux stated, breaking into my thoughts as he turned on his heel to guide the other God and his family to the retreat.

  I stepped aside and went to follow too, but Icarus grabbed my arm and held me back.

  “Tor? Tell me true. How bad is it?”

  The concern on his face was for Cressy’s sake, not Ella’s. Even as I understood it, it irked me. I jerked my arm free from his grip. “Ella is well.”

  He studied me, his gaze grazing over my features, scanning it as though I were a file he could read and would understand better if he memorized every detail. “I care for Ella too,” he murmured. “I’m concerned for Cressida; I won’t lie about that. But Ella grew on us all when we knew her.”

  “You knew her as she lived?”

  He shook his head. “No. She’d passed over. That was how we met Cressida. Nash and she were on tour together, during that time Ella was involved in a car crash and perished. He brought Cressy to Hades for her burial. That was when we realized what she was. He gave her a boon, and she asked for Ella to be returned to her. He could only do so as a ghost, and so that was how we came to have Ella hanging around us.”

  I clenched my jaw at the idea of her being…

  God, I couldn’t even think of Ella as dead, but she was. The Ella this man had known was no more. She was shaped differently. Housed inside another woman’s body. It was only now when I registered how hard that must be for our wife, and I had no idea how to make it better.

  Time?

  Would that heal this particular wound as well as aid me with my desire to know my wife better?

  I could only hope so.

  “How likely is it, do you think, that one God sired Ella, and the body she inhabits was sired by a Goddess?”

  His question had my brows lifting. “It would explain our initial confusion. Apollo is rarely wrong and he did believe her to be linked to Hecate.”

  Icarus shrugged. “Truth is, I have no idea of how possible that is, but Ella is somewhat of an anomaly. Zeus returned her to this realm with the aid of the Fates. As far as I’m aware, that has never happened before.”

  “No,” I said softly, processing his words and the likelihood of them. “Had we suspected, we would have attempted to control the situation better.”

  “The claiming is what it is.”

  “Perhaps, but I’m certain you didn’t trigger a solar storm that might have destroyed the planet’s magnetic field?”

  “No.” Rus’ eyes widened. “This is true. However, we have a constant flurry of ghosts with us, so there’s that.”

  I tilted my head to the side in surprise. “What do you mean?”

  “Cressida can see ghosts too. Now, in times of great emotion, she calls them to her. We’ve always had the odd ghost wandering around. I’m accustomed to seeing them now, but some days it’s like the parting of the Red Sea.”

  “So many?” I inquired.

  He nodded. “Yes. Hades is concerned.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “Too many souls aren’t crossing over to the Underworld?”

  “Indeed.” Rus rubbed the back of his neck. “Don’t tell him I said that.”

  “No. Of course not.” Because I knew he’d shared something with me to set me at ease, I explained, “Ella isn’t exactly comatose, nor is she asleep. Apollo insists she’s healing. I know nothing else of her state.”

  “Why, though? What happened?”

  “Apollo claimed her as ours in a group. Whatever he did harnessed the excess solar energy into crystals we’d collected to hold the power. He used the remnants to…” I winced. “I’m not even sure. He claims that the ozone layer has been reinforced now.”

  Rus jolted back at that. “How?”

  “I told you already—I have no idea. Hades keeps you informed of his talents?” I demanded, knowing no way was the case.

  The other guardian conceded that with a grimace. “This is true.”

  “Well, Apollo has many talents, and many more secrets. I only learned recently that he had the ability to do this.”

  “Why hasn’t he done it before?”

  “Because he couldn’t. Helios’ birth created a disconnect. Now, because of Ella, he could protect the Earth through our link.”

  “That makes no sense.”

  I ran a hand through my hair. “You’re telling me. All I know is that my wife and Apollo are glowing.”

  “Glowing?” Rus choked.

  “Yes. I’m hoping that when she wakens, she won’t be able to light a room by herself.”

  “Jesus,” was all the other man could say, and I didn’t exactly blame him. The situation made me speechless too.

  “Yes.” I blew out a breath. “Look, Ella will be well. Apollo will see to it.” I started to walk away, my destination the retreat, but Ic
arus grabbed my arm again. “What is it?”

  “You don’t think this was always meant to happen, do you?”

  “What?” I frowned at him. “You know how the Fates work. I’m certain this was their plan.”

  “But the ozone…” Icarus shook his head. “Our wives are exposing weaknesses in the fabric of our existences.”

  I stared at him a second. “I wonder what the next wife will reveal.”

  He swallowed. “I’m not certain I wish to find out.”

  “If Ella has helped Apollo heal the ozone layer, then maybe Cressida will help you find a way to resolve this situation with the dead?”

  Icarus shook his head. “That is something one person cannot do.”

  I nudged him in the side. “Ah, but we are not mere ‘people,’ are we?”

  “No, I suppose we’re not,” he murmured, his tone pensive.

  “Come. Let me show you to your quarters. The place is a retreat. Feel free to use the facilities, and the instant Ella is awake, we will let Cressida know.”

  He snorted. “If you think Cressida won’t be pestering you for that information, well, you’re not accustomed to this generation’s females, are you?”

  I couldn’t withhold my grin. “No, but I look forward to a lesson in handling them.”

  Another snort. “First lesson: there is no handling a woman of the twenty-first century.”

  ❖

  Ella

  I was tired.

  Seriously tired.

  Even keeping my eyes open was more than I could handle, and it was so like that time when I’d woken up at the hospital after a damn coma that it made me want to puke, almost.

  I’d been out of control then too, and I was only just realizing how much I loathed not being in control now.

  My limbs felt heavy. My eyes felt like stone. And each hair on top of my head might as well have been an iron filament, and I could feel the weight of each one.

  I felt my men talking around me, could hear their soft murmurs, and though I wanted to wake up to be with them, I just couldn’t.

  Whatever was going on was my body’s way of ensuring I needed my rest, and I allowed it because I was hurting. So, so badly.

  God, it was painful. Like my limbs were growing almost, or maybe shrinking? Like my muscles were being put through a meat grinder, and my bones were just being sawed to shreds by Jason—a thought that almost made me smirk as I recollected the time I’d forced Cressy to watch a marathon of Friday the 13th movies.